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Loft Conversions
With the increasing cost of buying a property at present, not every householder can even afford to move home just to gain that extra bit of living space. The cost of actually moving house has to be combined with the asking price of the new house in addition to all of the extras when you're calculating the total outlay involved. If you find that your home is no longer big enough to comfortably accommodate your growing family, physically moving home isn't the only solution.
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If your home is suitable, you may be able to add an extension to gain that much needed additional living space. You are going to need planning permission to do this and it could be expensive. You could maybe do a garage conversion, assuming that you have a garage and you aren't at present parking your car in it. Another alternative is to do a loft conversion, which may not merely be affordable, but may also add more value to your house without the need to increase its footprint.
For the above reasons loft conversions have become really popular in the last decade. It is vital, before you take the plunge, that you verify whether or not your property is in fact suitable for a loft conversion. Houses having roofs made with trusses aren't normally suitable. The perfect homes for having loft conversions are the more mature properties, in particular those constructed prior to the seventies.
You've got to bring in a local conversion specialist to evaluate the situation with your specific loft space and ensure it is in fact suitable. If the builder gives the all clear to have a loft conversion you can get him to give you a quotation. Contact a few builders and gather several quotes so that you have a general idea of the probable cost. Try to use your intuition rather than solely considering the price when choosing who is the best company to accomplish your loft conversion.
Generally loft conversions carried out in don't require planning permission, so there is a good chance that yours won't either. Consult with your local planning department or ask your builder whether planning permission is likely to be needed.
Even though doing a loft conversion is a great option for lots of householders, it is still an expensive undertaking. If you do not already have the cash you can always put in for a loan, which is often not too difficult as the chances are that your loft conversion will significantly add to the market value of your house. As a broad guide you may be expecting that a loft conversion will cost roughly the same as a good size brick extension though the likelihood is that you will achieve more extra space with an attic conversion while not expanding your property's footprint.
That type of loft conversion you can have will depend upon the style and layout of your home. Loft conversions are available in several designs for example: roof light conversions, mansard conversions, loft pods, velux loft conversions, hip-to-gable conversions, dormer loft conversions and roof lift conversions. To discover which is the most appropriate and cost effective for your home, talk to your chosen builder.
One of the most popular sorts of loft conversion at the moment is the dormer style, a concept which offers value for your money, yet provides the most possible space. The dormer is a well-liked option with house owners because its both eye-catching and practical and offers everything which could possibly be required. With this type its even feasible to add a small balcony to your extra floor, meaning that you are even creating added outside space too. You will discover there are various types of dormer conversions such as shed dormers, hip to gable dormers, flat roof dormers and Velux dormers. Check with a professional to ascertain which would be the best option for your home.
One one of the foremost brands of roof windows, Velux, have been around for in excess of fifty years and you can depend on them to provide loft windows which are both dependable and high quality. These are built to be fitted in line with the angle of the roof and hence do not change the look of the roof structure, they don't commonly require local authority permission plus they are reasonably inexpensive to fit. Velux windows produce an adequate quantity of light and in fact might need to have blinds during the summer. If your loft has a fair bit of head room, Velux windows may be the best option for you, in particular when you are on a budget.
The time scale for completing a standard conversion is determined by a number of factors which include the availability of required components, the design of conversion, the weather conditions, the level of pre-planning which is done and the reliability of the contractors. As an approximate guide a rear dormer conversion done on a terraced house ought to take about four or five weeks, a hip to gable dormer on a semi-detached house should take about five to six weeks.
You just have to determine what to use all of that additional space for as soon as the conversion is finished. You can turn it into a kid's playroom, an additional bedroom or two or a new family bathroom. Nonetheless there's lots of applications to which a well built loft conversion can be put, limited merely by your imagination!